I've been visiting Itsuo Doi's workshop for nearly a decade now, and looking back through the photo archive recently, the span of it struck me. Four visits across nearly a decade: July 2014, November 2014, April 2022, and December 2023. It's the same man at the same forge.
The first visit was in July 2014. Japan in summer is extremely hot and humid. I was standing about 5 meters from the forge, and I distinctly remember sweating like hell. Yet Doi-san was fully covered with long sleeves and long pants, because he would otherwise get burnt by the heat from the forge. So imagine me in shorts, already sweating heavily, and think about what the craftsman is feeling. This can only be explained with dedication and love of the craft.
The next frame is from November 2014, my return visit that year. Doi is standing at the power hammer, working. That's all the photo shows, and that's enough.
The second set is from April 2022, right after Covid. I am in the frame with Doi, and you can see the signature mask still on my face. We were standing together in the workshop. I remember thinking at the time it would be good for an article someday.
The most recent frames are from December 2023. Doi is working the charcoal forge and the power hammer again. In one of them the fire is lighting up his face.
That span is really the story here: the same man, the same forge, four moments.
For anyone who doesn't know him: Doi is a forger on Aoki Hamono's craftsman roster, the maker behind Sakai Takayuki. His specialty is Aogami #2, and what sets him apart is how gently he treats it. He forges cool to protect the edge. He's the son of the late master smith Keijiro Doi, and the Hien series is his forging. The Doi forge runs three generations: Kazuo, the "phantom master smith", then Keijiro, and now Itsuo. He genuinely held the national Traditional Craftsman title and then gave it up. Sakai Takayuki confirmed this to us directly. The reason is his own, and the story should let that stand without speculating.
